Guarding an Angel
by Life.Of.Breeze
Summary: Dina Camshaft is dead, but that's the least of her problems. Dina's been hired as Afterlife's newest Guardian Angel, and her charge happens to be a kind of angel himself. Doesn't mean he has to be happy about it. eventual FAX -ON HOLD-
1. Introductions and Job Listings

**Welcome to **_**Guarding an Angel, **_**my first ever attempt at a multi-chapter fic! -cue streamers-**

**Yeah, honestly, I'm not 100% positive where this will go, where it starts, etc., but I'm **_**pretty**_** sure it starts at the beginning of **_**MAX **_**and follows its events. This whole what-if-one-of-the-flock-had-a-guardian-angel idea just kinda popped into my head. At 2:30 in the morning. And yes, I'm aware that others have had this kind of idea before, but none of them have ever been that successful...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Maximum Ride, except my Ocs and anything pertaining to Afterlife.**

**Also, to all you religious types out there: I'm Christian. I believe in Heaven, hell, and God. Please don't be offended by this, it's all made up in my screwy mind factory.**

…**... **

You know, when I died, I expected to be greeted by a band of trumpets or a holy choir, not a giant neon sign that flashed the worlds "PEARLY GATES" at uneven intervals. I expected to be wearing a flowing white dress, or at least some cool looking wizard robes, not jeans and my favorite flip-flops. And I also expected angels to be handsome 20-year-old models, not scruffy looking teenage boys. But hey, I guess those holy men in the Bible stories could have gotten _some_ details wrong.

"Hello Dina." the boy said. He was leaning against said red flashing sign and wore what looked like a yellow basketball uniform from, like, the 1970s. You know, the ones with the tiny shorts? I would have laughed if I wasn't so freaked out.

"Um... hi?" The boy smiled and strode over to me. He stuck out his hand.

"Paul Mitchell, Junior Archangel, head of the Guardian Angel Under Radar Department. Or _G.A.U.R.D._, if you don't want to be fancy." he said, his voice tinted with amusement. I took his hand and shook it. "Welcome to Afterlife."

"_This_ is Heaven? You've _got _to be joking." I scoffed. I gestured to the sign, whose "a" in "gates" had gone out, and to our clothes. "Where's the choir of angels? Our cool Harry Potter robes and hot tubs full of chocolate?"

The bo- _Paul _sighed and motioned for me to follow him.

"Yes, well, the living have always set high expectations for this place; Miss Rowling is sure to get quite an earful when her time comes. And this isn't Heaven, it's Afterlife."

We kept walking until we came to a stop in front of an enormous white picket fence, standing in what looked like a perfectly manicured lawn as big as about fifty football fields. I kid you not, I half expected Martha Stewart to come bursting out of it with a cherry pie in her hands.

Paul motioned towards fence with sweatband-encircled hands.

"_That's_ the entrance to Heaven: eternal peace, streets paved with gold, the whole shebang. As for your clothes, they take on the form of your favorite outfit from when you were living. For example, when I was living, my team won the Basketball Champs Tournament five times in a row. So, naturally, my jersey is my favorite clothing. Go Hornets!" Paul did a little fist pump and I rolled my eyes.

Seeing my lack of team spirit, he sighed. "Wait here a moment while I get your file, then I'll tell you your assignment." Then, without warning, he mumbled something under his breath and disappeared in a cloud of shimmering silver sparks.

"Wait! Where are you going?" I yelled, but he was already gone. "Stupid Hippie" I mumbled and started playing with a loose thread hanging from my comfy grey sweater.

So far, being dead wasn't living up to my expectations. _Why didn't I look where I was going? I'm so stupid! _I mentally kicked myself. I couldn't even imagine what my family was going through. _My mom is probably crying her eyes out. And Matthew..._

_ Oh, God. _My throat started to close up. _My baby brother..._

"Ah, here we are!" Paul exclaimed cheerfully. I blinked. _Whoa, when did he get back? _He started reading from a thick vanilla folder that had my name printed on the front.

"Name: Dina Camshaft.

Age at Death: 13 years, 5 months, six days.

Cause of Death: blunt force trauma. You were hit by a taxi, correct?"

I felt my face heat up. _Stupid!_ "Yep, that's me."

Paul chuckled. "No need to be embarrassed. I died in a car related accident too. It was my first time driving actually, didn't see the cliff until I drove over it."

His ears turned red and gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Ahem, well, let's move on, shall we?"

Paul and I walked over to this little elevator type deal that right next to the "Pearly Gates".

"Oh! I almost forgot!" he exclaimed and pulled what looked like a little gold hoop out of a pocket in my file. The hoop jumped up from his hand and darted to float a few inches above my head. My jaw dropped.

Paul cleared his throat to get my attention and I tore my eyes away from the gold band. "Your Halo acts as an indicator to your Angel Seniority Status, or A.S.S."

I giggled at his unintended profanity, but stopped when Paul narrowed his eyes at me.

"Guardian Angels, like you, have golden Halos, but lack Wings." He pointed to his Halo, which was kind of silvery, and spread his white wings. My jaw dropped again. _How did I not notice those? _

_ "_I, on the other hand, am a Junior Archangel. You will earn your Wings and appropriate colored Halo as soon as you complete your assignment, as well as being granted access to Heaven and all of its pleasures. And as my apprentice, I will guide you through all the necessary steps to get to that point." he explained, not taking his eyes off my file.

I started twisting some of my brown hair between my fingers and nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess that makes- wait a minute! What do you mean assignment? I just _died, _for cripes sake! I'm emotionally unstable! How am I supposed to guard anybody?"

Paul looked up from my file and smirked at my panicked expression. "Don't worry so much, Dina! Like I said, I am your Mentor. I'll help you through this and teach you all of the necessary skills that comes with being a G.A." he said soothingly. "Now get in the elevator."

Swallowing my fear, I gave him a sharp nod and stepped into the, you guessed it, _stark-white _elevator. Paul closed the gate-latch thing and turned to punch in some numbers into pad that looked suspiciously like a calculator.

"So, whose the poor sap that I'll be 'guarding'?" I asked. Paul smiled but didn't look up from his device.

"Guess"

My brow furrowed as I did my best "in deep thought" impersonation. "Um, OK... are they a boy or a girl?"

"Boy." Well _that _narrows it down.

"Ok... do I know him? Is he famous?"

I didn't like that evil glint in Paul's eye. "Yes, he and his family are pretty famous. I'll give you another hint: this boy can soar, but he doesn't need wings. Well, metal ones, anyway."

Ok, now I was confused. Paul finished punching in numbers and the elevator started making its slow decent down to what I assumed was Earth. White mist started creeping up my legs.

"Wait! What's that supposed to mean? How can someone fly without-"

Holy. Crap.

No. Freaking. Way.

I mean, I had seen them on the news the morning before I died, doing one of there air shows, but it couldn't be...

By now the mist had crept up to above my shoulders and I could feel myself becoming weightless. "You're kidding, right? You have to be! Aren't you even a little concerned about-" By now the mist had completely covered my head and my voice was lost.

The last thing I heard before I descended was Paul's chuckling. "Honestly, I'm more concerned about how Fang will react when he meets _you_. Poor boy won't know what hit 'em."

…**...**

**Whew, glad _that's _over! This chapter was a bit- uh... a _birch _to write. :)**

**More MR in the next chapter, I promise! Dina finally meets Fang; it ought to be interesting...**

**Anyway, reviewers will be given cool wizard robes! **

**Bonus Questions:**

_**What would your Heaven look like?**_

_**What A.S.S. position would you hold? (G.A., Archangel, Gate Guard, etc.)**_

_**If you were a G.A., which flock member would be your charge? **_


	2. Birdboys and MedicineInduced Illusions

**Chapter 2! W00t**

**Special thanks to those who reviewed! It really makes me feel good to know that someone besides my cat, Kitty-Nibbles, enjoys my writing.**

**FYI: Fanfiction is a side hobby of mine; I am uber busy and don't have a lot of free time. Updates may vary from a couple of weeks to a couple of _months, _so don't think that I've, like, fallen off the face of the earth. :p**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Maximum Ride or the book/movie _The Lovely Bones._ Credit goes to each work's respective authors.**

**I do, however, own anything to do with Dina, GA's, and imaginary cough-medicine girls. **

…**...**

The elevator ride down to the world of the living was actually quite pleasant. I gently floated down to earth like a fluffy little snowflake, gracefully landing in front of my charge and blowing his genetically-altered mind with my awesome powers and dashing good looks.

Not.

It actually went something like this:

After the mist had completely swallowed me whole, I sort of had this out of body experience. I know I don't technically _have_ a body anymore; I'm the manifestation of a human soul or something, but that's besides the point. It's kind of hard to explain.

Have you ever seen the movie _The Lovely Bones?_ If not, I'll give you time to go watch it now.

…...

Finished? Good.

You remember that part right after Susie dies? How she becomes this weird outline of a girl made up of stars and starts hurtling through what looks like outer space? Well, it was sort of like that. Except for the part about those stars being a puke-green color and the sound of my high pitched screams echoing everywhere.

"_AIIIEEE!"_

After what felt like an eternity falling over myself in limbo, I finally landed with a sickening _thud _on a cold hardwood floor.

"Oww..." I groaned, even though my landing hadn't hurt at all. It's one of the advantages of not having nerve endings.

I pulled myself into a sitting position and put my head in my hands.

This sucked! Here I was, not even dead for more than 24 hours, and charged with 'guarding' one of the most dangerous boys on the planet! I had heard enough about Maximum Ride and her family to know that these kids meant business. Even the six year old had enough strength to bring a full grown man to his knees.

Shaking my head, I heaved myself into a standing position and looked around the place where I had 'fallen'.

"Ok... I'm in a bedroom," I mumbled.

I tend to talk to myself out loud, especially when under pressure. No wonder I don't have many friends.

"I'm in a bedroom," I repeated with a little more confidence. "It's _really_ messy. Man, it's dark in here too."

Dark and messy were pretty much the only adjectives that described this place. I had to step over empty pizza boxes, soda cans, and discarded clothes to get closer to the bed (which was unmade, FYI). The only light in the room was the soft golden glow emitting from my Halo; thick curtains cloaked the windows.

_Golly, this Fang kid must have a charming personality. All this black is simply delightful!_

I gave a tiny snort at my joke and made my way to the window beside the disheveled bed.

Speaking of Mr. Chipper, I assumed that the lumpy, human-shaped form twisted in the blankets was him. If it wasn't... well, let's just say the poor sap was about to experience a very rude awakening.

Throwing back the musty curtains, I plastered on a toothy grin and whirled around with my hands on my hips.

"HOLA, Senor Fang! Rise and shine!" I cried. I _was_ part Mexican, after all.

"My name's Dina, and I'm your new Guard-"

I paused, a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The ray of light coming from the window had settled on the bed to show... a pillow. A very lumpy pillow. A very lumpy, _human-shaped _pillow.

_Aw, crap._

My hands slid off my hips like jello on a hot car hood. Staring dumbly at the empty mattress, my mind recovered from it's little freak-out and came up with two possible conclusions:

The Flock wasn't home and I had just come at the wrong time, or

they had heard/seen/sensed me 'drop in', and were acting like ninjas.

Guess which one was more likely.

"_Hello, _Dina," a deep voice snarled from my right.

_Shit._

Eyes wide, I turned slowly and came face-to-face with the bird-kid himself.

Fang pushed himself away from the wall he had been leaning on and crossed his arms. His face was unreadable, but his eyes were deadly.

_Double shit._

"Not that I'm _so pleased_ to meet you," Fang growled, "but do you mind telling me exactly _who_ you are and how the _hell_ you got in here?" His voice was sarcastic and his words were laced with poison.

"Er..." I stuttered.

Fang's eyes were still boring into mine, and I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Um, through the power of positive thinking?"

If I weren't so terrified, I would have facepalmed.

Fang's eyes turned into slits and a frown tugged down the corners of his mouth. His arms fell to his sides, hands clenched into fists.

"Wrong answer," said Fang.

And thats when things got kinda weird.

Like I said before, I have no body; no physical form. I'm pretty much a cloud of pure energy which some higher power had molded into the shape of a lanky teenage girl.

Though, I'm still convinced that magic may have something to do with it, no matter what Paul says.

Anyway, think about what happens when you try to hit a cloud of mist. No matter how powerful your punch is, your hand always seems to miss the little water particles and you end up not hitting anything but air.

So, I really wasn't that surprised when Fang aimed a crushing blow at my stomach and his arm went _through my body._

But I'm guessing that _he_ wasn't as informed about my state of being as I was, because the momentum behind his punch pulled the rest of his body completely through me and into a dresser.

I winced. _Ooh, that looked painful._

"Are you Ok?" I asked him.

Fang jackknifed into a crouch, not looking hurt at all. The giant bruise forming on his cheek said otherwise.

"Just _peachy,_" he spat, clearly ticked off.

I also noted that his wings were opened just enough for me to see his primary feathers. They really _were_ pitch black.

Fang started to circle to me slowly, still glaring. His mouth, however, dropped open slightly when he noticed my Halo. I smirked and his face became unreadable again.

"What-"

Fang's question was cut off when the door was nearly busted off its hinges and two people burst into the room.

I immediately recognized the first person as Maximum herself. She had her fists clenched and a fierce bring-it-on expression, which melted into confusion when she saw Fang.

The boy that followed close behind her was easily identifiable as well. My best friend and locker-mate, Jean, had been obsessed with Iggy and I had seen his picture tacked on the door of our cubicle at school almost everyday since Christmas.

"Um, is something wrong?" Max asked while looking around the room.

_What? I'm right here! How can she not-_

_Ohhhh..._

A huge grin spread across my face, and I had to suppress a giggle.

_She can't see me!_

Fang materialized next to her, still trying to melt my face off with his glare.

"Yeah, I'm looking right at her," he growled.

Max followed his gaze and her frowned deepened.

"Er... Fang?"

His eyes never left mine. "Yes?"

Max cleared her throat. "There's, uh, no one here."

Fang turned to her and blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Third time's a charm.

"What are you talking about? There's a girl sitting _right there!_" He pointed to where I had taken a seat on his bed. I had to hold my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing; tears sprung to my eyes.

Iggy, who had been still this entire time, (trying to sense my presence, no doubt) perked up.

"A girl? In here? Where?"

Max thumped him on the arm and put a hand to Fang's forehead.

"You feeling alright, Fang? I mean, Antarctica was pretty chilly, you could have gotten a cold or something."

A loud snort escaped my clasped hands. The look on his face was priceless.

"Fang, man, I don't hear anything either," Iggy added. "And I don't think cold medicine would improve your situation. I hear it makes people see things..."

"See what?"

Everyone turned as the rest of the gang filed into the room, each looking around warily.

What, were they expecting a pizza box to jump up and eat them or something? These kids were weird.

Fang smacked Max's hand away and marched up to where I was sitting. I smiled at him. He glowered.

"She's _right here!_ How can you not see her?" he almost roared, sticking a tan finger in my face. It only made me laugh even harder.

"_Can't...Breathe..." _I managed to gasp between laughs. This was _awesome._

A look of triumph came over Fang.

"See! She just talked! Didn't you hear her?" he asked.

Max just stared at him. The two youngest girls, Nudge and Angel, exchanged worried looks, while the boy, Gasman, started whispering to Iggy.

"Who's Fang talking to?"

"His imaginary girlfriend," Iggy replied with a straight face. "She came out of the medicine cabinet."

Gasman nodded. "Oh. Wait, what?"

By now I had fallen off the bed in a laughing fit. This was just too much!

Fang's face turned an attractive shade of purple.

"I'M NOT HIGH!" He was practically shaking with anger. "There's a teenage girl sitting on my bed! Her name's Dina! She has brown hair, a ratty grey sweater, and a _friggn' gold hoop on her head!" _

Silence.

"Ok, Fang," Max said slowly. "So you're saying that there's a random homeless chick sitting right next to you. On your bed. With a hoop on her head. And she's invisible?"

Fang's jaw was clenched. He nodded.

Everyone stared at him. That is, until the snickering began.

Poor Fangles looked like he was going to explode. His mouth was set in a hard line, his face still that lovely Barney the Dinosaur color. He kept clenching and unclenching his fists in anger.

Then, suddenly, his expression became calm, and his face became olive-toned again.

"You're right, Max," Fang said evenly. "I must have caught something. Maybe I just need to rest some more."

Bewildered looks were exchanged among the flock. Even I looked at him funny.

Max kept looking at him, concerned, while she herded the younger ones out of the room. "Yeah, uh, get some sleep or something." She gave him one last glace that clearly said '_we'll talk about this later'_ before heading out the door.

Now the only people left were me, Fang, and Iggy.

"Need something, Ig?" Fang asked in that creepy, emotionless voice.

I frowned. _What is with him?_

"Uh..." Iggy stuttered. He seemed nervous, like he had just been spooked or something.

"I thought I... never mind," he finished quickly, and shuffled out of the room.

Fang shut the door behind him and slowly turned around to face me with a thoughtful expression.

I sat up on the bed, Indian style, and nervously played with the strap on my flip-flop.

He continued to stare.

"Um, sorry about that," I said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to make you look like a nutcase."

Fang walked over and sat on the bed, still studying me.

"Explain," he said quietly.

And so I did

…**...**

_**Two Explanations Later...**_

"So, let me get this straight," I said. "You, Max, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel are human-avian hybrids who were created by a lab called the School. Dr. Martinez is Max's mom, Ella's her half-sister, and this is a safe house was provided by an organization called the CSM, whose sole purpose is to stop global warming and help Max save the world. Plus, you have a talking dog."

I took a deep breath. "Correct?"

Fang nodded. "That sounds about right."

I chuckled.

"And you're a dead girl who's invisible to everyone but me, and was told by a teenage angel to stalk me and make sure I don't die?" he asked.

"Yeah, that about sums it up."

Fang sighed and got to his feet. "Now the rest of the Flock thinks I'm crazy."

I gave him a wry smile. "Yep."

He shot me a hard look and started pacing around the room. "Can't you like, go back or something? Tell them I'm not interested? I mean, look at me!" He spread his coal black wings. "I don't need protection!"

I could feel my brown furrow in annoyance and I jumped up and glared up at him. He was a foot taller than me.

"Hey, I didn't ask for this either, so you might as well just suck it up and deal with it! I just- I have to do this! If I don't, well..."

I was stumped. What _did_ happen if I refused to be a Guardian?

We continued to glare at each other until I finally sat down and buried my face in my hands.

"Look, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing, ok? I've only been dead for, like, a day."

Tears threatened to spill out my eyes. It had just hit me: there really was no going back. I'd never see my family again.

Fang sighed and tried to put a hand on my shoulder, which was useless.

"I'm sorry," he said in a gruff voice. "But don't worry. We'll figure this out."

I peaked up at him through my fingers. "We?"

A small smile crossed his lips. "What can I say? You've grown on me."

…**...**

**Sorry if Fang seems kinda OOC. He's really hard to depict correctly! **

**Some people have been wondering if I'm going to include any pairings besides FAX. I'm really not sure yet. : / There may be some Eggy or a dash of cute Nazzy thrown in somewhere. **

**And to answer the question of DinaxCannon action, the answer is a shaky NO. The whole CannonxOC thing is used **_**way**_** to much, especially for Iggy. **

**If I **_**do**_** include it somewhere down the road, it's most definitely going to be one-sided. Got to love that angst. **

**Up next in **_**Guarding an Angel**_**:**

**GA training, portals to hell, and a boy who Knows.**

**R&R. Please?**


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